Chula Vista  David Romero hasn’t had your typical high school athletic career — and he doesn’t mind it a bit.

Romero doesn’t attend your usual high school — the senior two-sport star goes to High Tech High in Chula Vista.

“I really don’t know what time a class starts or ends,” said Romero, center fielder for the Bruins baseball team and a defender on the soccer team. “We have no bells. When it’s time to move on we just get up and go to the next class. I don’t know when lunch is. It’s a kind of real-world situation.”

Many don’t even know the 594-student high school even exists on the eastern fringes of Chula Vista, let alone offers sports.

“There are so many things I like about it,” said Romero of the innovative school that features project-based learning with a curriculum developed by the teachers. “The atmosphere is great. No, we don’t have a football team, but I like the way things are run. We focus on what we have; that’s enough for me.”

The most obvious challenge the Bruins face is where to play.

“We don’t have any sports facilities on campus outside of an outdoor basketball court,” explained athletic director Alan Botterman. “We have to secure facilities off campus and they’re impacted by all the club/travel teams and rec leagues.”

High Tech High athletes in their 13 sports are scattered all over the South Bay, with facilities ranging from the Sweetwater Valley Little League Fields, to the Olympic Training Center, to Sutherland YMCA, and to the Las Palmas Pool in National City.

“With soccer every year we’ve had a different field to practice and play games on,” said Romero, a member of the first class to go through all four years at the new campus.

“I remember going to a park and one of the local teams walks up and tell us, ‘We have the field scheduled so you’ll have to leave.’ We’re always traveling around.”

Then there are the challenges the school puts on itself.

“We do some things differently here at HTHCV,” explained Botterman, who is also the baseball coach. “For instance, our coaches are only allowed to have three touches with their players per week. So if they have two games, they are only allowed one practice.

“Additionally CIF requires a 2.0 GPA for eligibility, but we require a 2.5.”

As for coaches, they are all volunteers, something the students appreciate.

“The coaches are amazing,” Romero said. “You have to be passionate about a sport if you do that; and if you’re passionate, you’re usually pretty good at it.”

The teams have done pretty well, also. The boys soccer team has made the playoffs every year since it adopted the sport. And Romero’s baseball team willingly plays the biggest schools in the Metro Conference to prepare for its Frontier League schedule.

Romero is the speed of the Bruins. He is currently batting over .415 with an on-base percentage of .556. He is tied for the section lead in stolen bases with 29.

In school, Romero’s numbers are even more impressive. His 4.22 grade-point average has earned him acceptance to UC Berkeley. He will be in the Navy ROTC Program leading to a career in the military. He did an internship at SPAWAR last year.

“Because of his work ethic, David will do well and accomplish many great things,” Botterman said.

Romero watched his former teammates on the Parkview Little League team win the Little League World Series. He was a year too old and missed all the excitement with his friends.

“I wanted to go (to public schools) with my friends, but I know it’s not my friends who will get me to where I want to be — it will be this school,” Romero said.